While a majority of this year’s offseason matters will have to wait until the conclusion of the 2025 MLB Playoffs, the planning has already begun for teams like the Kansas City Royals who missed out on October baseball.
On top of preliminary planning, what’s also got underway league-wide is the end-of-season award nominations and despite following a disappointing season, the Royals could be very well represented.
On Monday, the nominees for the prestigious Hank Aaron Award were revealed, an award that’s meant to determine who the best overall offensive player was in each respective league.
Among the 10 American League nominees this year was Royals superstar shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., which marked just his latest bit of praise for what was yet another excellent season for him.
Bobby Witt Jr. receives more praise for sensational season at the plate in 2025
It shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone that Bobby Witt Jr. is considered among the best hitters in the American and MLB in general.
After finishing as an MVP runner-up a year ago, Witt may not have had the other-worldly numbers he posted in 2024 this time around, but he still crafted a sensational 2025 campaign that’s worthy of plenty of recognition and hopefully some hardware when all is said and done.
In 687 plate appearances across 157 games this season, the 25-year-old franchise cornerstone slashed .295/.351/.501 with 23 homers, 88 RBI, a walk rate under 20% (18.2%) and a 130 wRC+.
And among qualified American League hitters, he sat Top 10 in AVG, SLG and OPS while ranking among the Top 15 in RBI and wRC+. He was also most notably the major league hits crown winner this season with 184.
Now, much like the AL MVP award – which both New York Yankees star Aaron Judge and Seattle Mariners slugger Cal Raleigh will surely be nominated for as well after their historic seasons – the best Witt might be able do here is being named a finalist. However, to be named among the Top 10 hitters in a league is nothing to take lightly and is certainly an accomplishment in itself.
Unlike the MVP though, this is an award where both a panel of Hall-of-Famers as well as fan voting determines the winner. Voting closes on at 11:59 p.m. ET on Oct. 12, with the winners being announced on Nov. 13.
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